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vison

vison

9.9
A small wild animal with soft dark fur that lives near rivers in North America
  • noun
  • /ˈvaɪsən/
  • Archaic
translation icon : visón
  • In the wild, the vison is a skilled swimmer and hunter, often found near water sources.

Examples

  • For example, on Baltic Sea islands, birds shifted their selection of breeding sites in the presence of introduced American mink (Mustela vison) because of predation risk.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The vison is known for its luxurious fur, which is highly sought after in the fashion industry.

  • She admired the beautiful vison coat displayed in the store window.

Synonyms

mink
vsvison
11 4.6

A small slim animal that lives near water and has soft dense fur

refers specifically to the North American species rather than the general type
American mink
vsvison
  • US
7.3

A North American animal that lives near water, has dark brown fur, and eats other animals

is the same species but uses the other common name
Mustela vison
vsvison
  • Specialized
9.9

A small animal that lives near water with dark brown fur from North America

uses the everyday common name rather than a scientific form

Compounds

Mustela vison
  • Specialized
9.9

A small animal that lives near water with dark brown fur from North America

Surface Forms

vison singular
visons plural

Etymology

The word vison comes from French and means 'mink', a small river animal known for its very soft fur. So a vison is the animal itself, like the English word 'mink'.